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How to Create a Great Logo

A great logo is the cornerstone of visual branding. It should represent your business in every way possible.

Here are the key things to consider when developing a new one.

Creating a new logo can seem overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be.

Start by outlining your business strategy and take a hard look at what you do, who your customers are, how you want to be seen to differentiate you from the competition and most importantly, what kind of brand image you want to convey.

Do you want be convey a serious sophistication? Bold and fun? Are your customers upscale adults or fun-loving millenials? Answers to these questions will help you to determine the design direction for your new logo.

Since a business should stick with a logo for the long-term to build branding consistency, the ‘why’ of your logo is of utmost importance.

Your new logo will appear on your website, business cards and letterhead, brochures, street signs and so much more. Here are the key details to consider after you outline your strategy.

The key elements of a great logo.

There are 3 important parts of a small business logo:

Colors

Color invokes feelings and your colors should align with how you want people to ‘see’ your business. Here is an amazing infographic on the psychology of color to help you choose the right one for your brand strategy.

Font

A typeface, aka font or type style, says so much more than the words that it creates. The font you choose gives potential customers an instant look inside what you do, and is a critical part of your logo. Here is a great guide to choosing a font for your logo.

Icon

An icon can help to bring your business name to life! A small graphic that goes along with your name can make your logo stronger, and much more versatile. Use the icon throughout your website, on brochures, as an app icon and much more. The shape, style and colors can be used increase branding consistency.

An insider’s tip for choosing a font.

While there are billions of fonts in the world and you can use any that you want, one other thing to consider is the use of that font on your website. To create some great visual consistency, you can use your font in your headlines or other places on your website.

To make that work right, we suggest using a Google font so that anyone using Google Chrome (or most other browsers) can see it flawlessly.

I’ve worked in marketing, strategy, SEO and paid search for nearly 20 years, and as a freelance website designer for 8 years. My approach to web marketing: strategize. maximize. analyze. repeat. came from learning about my own personal strengths. Not only were they my Strength Finder talents, but together they create a solid, simplified approach to successful marketing. I like to write about that stuff here, and share my knowledge to help fellow small business owners achieve more, and see the world through purple colored glasses. Jen Lorenski